Components
by BamfIsAwesome
Summary: Several snapshots of the main Exo-Force team at the beginning of their formation, from the eyes and minds of all four teammates and their Sensei. A machine cannot function without its components, but can those components function with one another?
1. Hikaru

**I've finally done it. I don't know if anyone out there will ever actually READ this fic, but I've done it and it's out on FFnet! I hope you enjoy it, whoever may read it :)**

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**Hikaru: The Techie, the Idiot and the Red-Haired Wonder**

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Hikaru was a loner. He did _everything_ alone. He always had.

He was an only child. His parents spent his childhood fighting with each other, so he spent all his time at home pretty much alone. At school he was considered a weirdo by the kids and an 'odd one' by the teachers. He was dedicated and got good grades; in the end, that's all they cared about.

He progressed through his education, alone. He got a job, a dangerous one, but it was well-paid and the focus 'bot-breaking needed helped him forget just how alone he was. He brushed off everyone who tried to get close to him, simply because that was all he knew.

When the robots rebelled, Hikaru suddenly felt like he could really do something. He never boasted, but he was under no illusions regarding his abilities, and promptly signed himself up for Exo-Force, thinking he was just what they needed. He got through the primary training with almost perfect scores, and for a moment he had felt giddy. Lonely little Hikaru, helping to save the world…

And now he was standing in Sensei Keiken's office, waiting to be introduced to _his_ _new_ _team._

If he didn't respect the sensei so much, Hikaru would be thrice-damning that interfering old man.

The door opened; Hikaru looked up, and saw his first teammate. A broadly built young man, probably only a year or so older than Hikaru himself, dressed in red with green hair and eyes, and a cross-shaped scar on his right lower jaw.

The other man noticed he wasn't alone in the room and scowled, folding his arms defensively against Hikaru's gaze. "I suppose you're one of the guys Sensei's lumping me with?"

Another unwilling 'volunteer'. Great. "I suppose." He repeated coolly, not intimidated in the slightest.

The scowl deepened. "You gonna give me a name, or am I gonna have to make one up?"

Hikaru seriously considered the latter, and then took note of the glint in the other's eye. No way in hell was he setting himself up for some derogative nickname from this bozo. "My name is Hikaru." He silently wondered what the other would think in regards to his name's meaning, translating as 'light' or 'shining'. "And yours?"

"Takeshi." 'Military', 'warrior', 'chivalry'. An honourable name wasted on a thick idiot. Damn, they'd been in the same room barely a minute and he already hated the guy.

Judging by the glare he was currently facing off against, the feeling was mutual.

They were just lapsing into a tense silence when the door opened again and all prospect of peace and quiet was shot out of the sky. "Have no fear; Ha-Ya-To is here!"

Hikaru barely refrained from snorting, Takeshi not even bothering. _Ha-Ya-To?_ 'Falcon person'? What the hell were this guy's parents _thinking?_

"Don't worry," the Red-Haired Wonder continued, oblivious, grinning infuriatingly and winking one golden eye, "like I said, I'm here. You can start now." He swaggered over to a chair and plonked himself down.

Takeshi growled. _Actually_ growled. "Oh yeah, I _don't_ like you."

"You're not the only one." Hikaru muttered, too quiet to be noticed.

"What!" Ha-Ya-To squalled, voice shrill with displeasure. "What's not to like?"

Hikaru couldn't help himself. "Would you like the full list, or just the top five?"

Takeshi's attention turned back to him. "Who asked you?"

The blue-haired pilot was about to answer with something along the lines of 'Are you deaf? Ha-Ya-To just did.' When the door opened a third time, letting in Sensei Keiken and another figure.

This one was a techie, judging by the orange overalls, and he had a mop of violet hair being kept out of his sapphire eyes with an orange headband.

Sensei Keiken eyed Ha-Ya-To disapprovingly, and it took him a moment but the pilot leapt out of his seat with a remorseless grin.

"Hikaru, Takeshi, Ha-Ya-To. You have no doubt already met one another." He cut to the chase, looking at each of them, eyes piercing through to their souls and probably telling him exactly what they thought of their prospective teammates. He nodded over his shoulder to the techie. "This is Ryo."

'Bright', 'clear'… Hikaru had to admit, it seemed to suit him. The name described his eyes. Ryo smiled shyly and waved. "Hi."

"Hello."

"Yo."

"Hi!"

The blue-eyed young man glanced at Keiken, then smiled broadly, his confidence building. His name described his smile too. "Okay, don't tell me who's who. I'm gonna guess, just to show you I'm not blind or dumb."

Hikaru protested. "That's really not necessary-"

"Of course it is!" Ryo interrupted. "I'm just a lowly techie in front of three experienced pilots, after all." He declared modestly. He placed a hand on his chin, supporting the elbow with his other hand, a thoughtful expression in place. "Let me guess… you're… Hikaru, right?"

The former 'bot rancher nodded and Ryo's grin widened. It was oddly endearing. He turned to the larger green-haired pilot, taking his hand from his chin to point lightly. "And you're Takeshi?"

"Yup." Takeshi nodded, almost amiably.

"Bet you can't guess who I am!" Ha-Ya-To broke in smugly.

Ryo's grin became an almost childlike smile, hands now clasping behind his back as he straightened almost to attention. He wouldn't stop moving!

"You're Ha-Ya-To." He stated confidently, sounding so matter-of-fact that Hikaru found it absurdly tempting to say 'Really?' and actually mean it.

Ha-Ya-To's own grin seemed to split his face, eyes sparkling. "And you're Ryo!"

Cue rolling of eyes from Takeshi.

The smile became serene, but the voice no less cheerful, the techie now rocking on his heels. "That's me."

Takeshi chuckled and Hikaru glanced at him. There was a glint of something in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly for the blue-haired pilot to identify it.

"You are a team now." Hikaru almost jumped, having forgotten the old sensei was there. "You are going to be training and working together from here on out. I suggest you learn to work as a team, as it is the only way you will succeed."

They spoke as one, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. "Yes, Sensei."

A team. Consisting of himself, Ryo, Thick Idiot and the Red-Haired Wonder. Only his flawless self-control kept him from throwing himself at Keiken's feet and bawling 'God, please, _NO,_ Sensei!'


	2. Takeshi

**Chapter two! First off, OMG! *blush* *faint* *nosebleed* Aw, crap... Thank you, Brainiac5! I am not worthy! *bows* *smacks head on keyboard* Ugh... I had a really, REALLY bad day today, and you made it all better! Thank you _so much!_ I took some serious liberties with Takeshi's past- well, with all their pasts. Just filling in some gaps :) No dialogue here (it would just be another argument anyways), and Takeshi is heading to his quarters after a disastrous training session with the team. Enjoy!**

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**Takeshi: The Mind Boggles**

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Takeshi could not believe this. His baby brothers were better at team work than these guys. _Guilty as charged._ He thought wryly. He had to admit, he had been something of an 'instigator'… but with Hikaru being a solo-hero-stuck-up-twat-face, who could blame him?

His brothers… Takeshi had seven brothers, raised by only their mother, their father having been killed in an accident at work before the youngest was born. Since then, Takeshi had become 'man of the house', looking out for his bros and mom. He hadn't know where any of them were after the fight on the northern peak, whether they were still alive, what happened to his home… now he knew it had been destroyed, and his family were on the robot side of the mountain. He felt that familiar, helpless frustration welling up. So close, yet so, so far…

Goddamn it, this first training session had been the single biggest unmitigated disaster since the catastrophe quartet (his second, fourth, fifth and sixth brothers) put paint in the blender and turned it on, and that had caught _fire! _Though it was pretty safe to say this team was most definitely going down in flames.

Sensei Keiken (thrice-damned, interfering old man) had said he had 'high hopes' for this team. Well, those hopes had no doubt been dashed upon the rocks. The sharp, pointy, long-way-down rocks. Shot out of the sky by advancing Devastator forces. With new and improved lasers. Then stomped on by Iron Drones. And then dragged back up, just to be thrown back down again. Then… well, the cycle continued.

Takeshi growled. Hikaru was such a- ! He huffed a sigh. He seemed the kind of person to swear a lot, but when the unofficial male role-model of a house full of terrors, a guy has to learn to bite his tongue, or things get out of hand very quickly. Needless to say, really, that he _hated_ Hikaru.

He checked himself. Not _hate_. He _hated_ robots; the same robots he had trusted with his safety down in the mines, the ones that had taken his mother, his little brothers, destroyed his home and the memories there, the lives and livelihoods of so many others… hate was a strong word. But he really, really, _really_, _REALLY _did _not_ like Hikaru.

Ha-Ya-To was annoying. His brothers were annoying, but they were equally easy _to_ annoy; Ha-Ya-To just didn't shut up, didn't stop _talking_, kept _frigging smiling all the goddamned time. _He'd gotten thrashed pretty quickly in the simulation, instantly taking to the sky when even impulsive Takeshi knew that particular manouvre in that particular situation fell into a category that labeled it a Really Bad Idea. Apparently it was the only place he felt 'right'. Falcon person indeed. Maybe his parents _did_ know what they were talking about when they named him…

A small smile involuntarily quirked his lips. Ryo had somehow managed to be incessantly obstinate in taking part whilst not seeming even the least bit disrespectful, only slightly frustrated. Which was understandable; Keiken hadn't let him use a simulation battle machine but given him some Drones to take on in hand-to-hand instead, and he had been pretty good. He needed a little tutoring in regards to taking on multiple mindless enemies coming in from all sides, but he had quickly and effectively dispatched the ones that he got _his _hands on rather than the other way around. It had looked like he was going to get the upper hand as well, until Ha-Ya-To had crash-landed nearly on top of him.

The green-haired pilot shook his head. Ryo… confused him. Not only did every quirk and characteristic seem to totally contradict another, but he found himself oddly fond and protective of the techie. He was absolutely _nothing_ like Takeshi's little monsters, except for that sparkle in his eyes, and that sweet and worrying 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile, though it was harmless in Ryo as it just meant he _did_ know something they didn't, not that he'd booby-trapped the kitchen cupboard. Anyway, other than that, there was just… _something_ about him, something that caused the older man's big brother instincts to kick in.

Finally, the door to his quarters. A shower and a change of clothes, then he was off to the mess hall. Hopefully he wouldn't bump into (and knock over; he'd make certain of that) their All-Knowing Leader. He'd coined the name when venting at Ryo (he hadn't meant to but the young man _had_ asked how he was).

"_Omniscient."_

"… _You what?"_

"_Omniscient. It means 'all-knowing'. Omniscient Leader."_

"… _Anyone else would sound like a pompous twat-bag saying that."_

"_Ouch."_

"_Anyone else meaning not you."_

"_I know." He smiled._

The next time Takeshi saw Sensei Keiken, he was asking if Ryo was some kind of genius or something. Because geniuses- geniui?- were supposed to be smart like that, and good at all kinds of things. He was pretty sure Ryo was a genius. The rest of the team were downright retarded though, so Takeshi hoped he was as he would be making up for lost brainpower all round.

He heard an infuriatingly chipper voice exchanging words with a ticked-off, cold one. Ha-Ya-To and Hikaru. He couldn't deal with them again right now; he'd break someone's nose. After weighing up the pros and cons of that particular plan of action, the shower won out. With any luck, the two would be gone by the time he was done. He heaved another sigh. Knowing his luck, he'd better start preparing snappy comebacks now.

**Btw, 'geniui' is pronounced 'genie-eye' and is NOT a real word. And I've been having about as much luck as Takeshi today :(**


	3. HaYaTo

**This is chapter three, and it's the turn of the Red-Haired Wonder! See, Brainy? No waiting involved! 'Ask and thou shalt recieve'. It's short, but it's pretty poignant, I think. I'd give a warning, but I don't want to give it away. Hope you enjoy :)**

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**Here's a Secret, Can You Keep It?**

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Ha-Ya-To could barely stifle his laughter. It seemed as though every member of Exo-Force had heard about- or actually heard, he wouldn't be surprised- the botched training session yesterday, and had arranged themselves so that there was only one table in the mess hall that was free. Hikaru and Takeshi were at opposite ends, shooting glares at each other between mouthfuls. Ryo was between them, seemingly put off his own food by the smouldering glares being sent through his head.

The last teammate sat next to Ryo, trying to keep from snickering. "Hey. How's things?"

Ryo rolled his eyes in exasperation and spoke with a dry tone. "Oh, you know. As good as things can be when you have one pair of holes being drilled into one temple and another pair being burned into the other."

Ha-Ya-To smiled sympathetically. Those two were really trying the poor techie's patience. "Yeah, I know. Their bickering could turn a nun into an axe murderer!"

The glares shifted onto him, but he just smiled wider. Ryo smiled a little too. "Yeah, but she could just go to Confession and be forgiven in the eyes of God. I'd be tried and thrown in the brig."

"Oh, I dunno." Ha-Ya-To leaned over casually. "Could be seen as a crime of passion, or we could keep up this conversation and plead self-defence."

Ryo chuckled. _Victory! _"Yeah, well, I'm not really in the mood for setting up a crime scene with so many witnesses around. I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Okay, see ya!"

"Bye."

The glaring continued. Ha-Ya-To was starting to understand Ryo's unusually sour mood a little better.

He hated this. He hated the arguing. There were never arguments before the rebellion, before Exo-Force. His parents were happy together, his older sister was usually nice and fun; they were a happy family. Ha-Ya-To was something of an adrenaline junkie, he couldn't deny it, but it was because his parents had always taken him to theme parks and let him ride on rollercoasters when he was little. His mother would be waiting afterwards with candyfloss and a smile.

They were gone now. Burned by flame and laser fire, crushed by their own home, memories and lives being torn apart before him… the only place he felt right now was in the air, feeling that thrill, that rush, so familiar but emptying his mind of those painful memories. He missed them. Oh God, he missed them so much.

He wasn't hungry anymore. Ha-Ya-To suddenly stood, turning for a moment, grin in place. "There, now I won't be obstructing your view of each other. Enjoy your ogling, lovebirds!" He then bolted out of the door pretty damn quick, two trays slamming into the wall and floor either side of him.

He had to get to his room. He kept pretending, humming a jaunty, made-up tune and striding along with a spring in his step, but he kept moving. He had to get to his room, before he broke down. He wouldn't cry. He couldn't cry.

That was his reason, for everything he did. He made people laugh, or made inane comments that wound people up and made himself laugh, just as long as _someone_ was laughing, because if there wasn't any laughing he would cry, and he could not, _would not_ cry.

He opened his door and practically through himself inside. He slammed his head into his pillow, pressing his face against it so hard he was nearly suffocating. It didn't matter. He gripped the sheets. He wouldn't cry. He pushed it out of his head, all of it, welcoming the numb emptiness that followed. He couldn't cry.

If he started crying, then he would start screaming. And he knew, he just inexplicably _knew_, that if he started screaming, he would never, ever stop.


	4. Ryo

**Me again! Ryo this time around, whoop whoop! Say hooray for our fav tech-ay! Uh, techie. *ahem* Anyway, hope you enjoy it!**

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**Just Want You To Know Who I Am**

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As Ryo connected the last wire inside the huge mounted weapon, he sighed. Placing the armour panel back over the exposed circuitry, he grabbed the welding mask and torch and proceeded to re-attach it.

He liked this. He liked doing 'all that technical stuff', as Takeshi so eloquently put it. But, after he'd done the stimulating thinking and the working out, after the satisfaction of having created or repaired any magnificent piece of machinery, there was always the re-attachment of the outer layer. It was simple; it needed finesse, but his subconscious and his deft hands had that covered, giving his mind room and time to wander.

Now, it wandered to his 'team'. Ryo used the word 'team' very loosely indeed, as the term usually implied some form of tolerance and cooperation between team members. There was very little of that going on right now. Hikaru and Takeshi just seemed to have this natural repulsion towards each other, resulting in instantaneous loathing whenever one was in the other's sight. They seemed totally incapable of putting up with Ha-Ya-To as well, which was a shame, because he was quite a fun person to talk to.

That was something, at least. No one seemed angry at or intolerant of _him._ They didn't treat him like 'just some techie' either; they treated him with some decent (totally unexpected and thoroughly flattering, though equally flustering) respect. Takeshi even asked if he wanted to spar with him in hand-to-hand combat. It had ended in a tie after neither had been able to continue, and the green-haired pilot had made the younger man blush terribly (fortunately, his face had already been flushed from exertion and Takeshi hadn't noticed) by stating that that had been the best sparring match he'd ever had the privilege to partake in. Not in so many words, of course, but that was the gist of it.

Hikaru had asked him once if he'd ever piloted a battle machine. Ryo's answer had been negative outside of the standard training, but he had openly expressed his desire to do so. Hikaru hadn't glared at him in disgust for thinking of 'doing a pilot's job', nor had he laughed or smiled sympathetically as if he had just revealed some sad and impossible dream of his. No, his grin had been wholehearted, his words true. He had commended the techie on his enthusiasm and determination, as well as his bravery. That had brought the purple-haired young man up short. Hikaru hadn't asked if he knew what being a pilot meant and what danger it entailed, he'd assumed that Ryo was aware of what he intended to get himself involved in (he did, of course, but people tended to jump to the conclusion that he hadn't thought it through- him, of all people!). He'd blushed again, waved it off and changed the subject. But he hadn't stopped smiling.

Now, Ha-Ya-To was fantastic to have around. He didn't even treat Ryo like a not-so-usual techie; he treated him like a slightly smarter normal person. That was depressing, he realised, that he thought of those not as intelligent as himself as 'normal'. It was wonderful though; Ha-Ya-To was surprisingly witty, and treated him, just as the others did, like a _person_. A person with potential, apparently. He hadn't revealed that he was in fact working on his own battle machine, just in case (that wasn't the real reason, but he wasn't sure what it actually was… maybe he was just that insecure), though they had all alluded to the thought of him in his own machine on the battlefield.

His parents didn't think he was a person, a normal human being. He was a genius, and apparently geniuses don't need anything except food, water, sleep, above-average mental stimulation and a toolbox. He didn't know where they were now, what happened to them, and he worried, despite not being particularly attached to them. Their ignorance was no fault of their own, and they did care about him. It wasn't like he broadcasted his loneliness to everyone… anyone…

Well, he'd just have to take on Takeshi's approach; smash through everything until he found them! And then go about analysing the pieces, to try and find some massive weakness to exploit and bring the whole robot population down. Ryo chuckled to himself. If anyone knew the kind of heroic thoughts he sometimes entertained, they'd question his mental age. Six? Seven? Not nineteen, and certainly not that of a genius, that's for sure.

_So what?_ Ryo countered, rebellious, setting his welding equipment aside._ I never had a proper childhood, why not catch up now?_ He grinned, checking swiftly around the room to see if he'd missed anything whilst his eidetic memory took in the current layout of the room. Why bother having everything organised when you knew where it all was? Things were easier to find if you knew where to find them from memory and ascertain their position in conjunction with yours with little more than a glance, without digging through drawers and piles, especially for the smaller stuff (though he made sure to keep that away from the most-used areas of perambulation, to keep the more delicate components from being stepped on).

Nimbly navigating his way through the 'clutter' of the room, thoughtlessly taking larger strides, dodges to the side and occasional vaults over larger pieces of machinery, Ryo decided to go and ask one of the 'team' if they wanted to play three-dimensional chess with him. Perhaps he could appeal to their more competitive sides (and his own) and get them all to partake in some kind of tournament…

**Ta-da! This is my best yet! All those big words, rambling thought process and flits from one thought to another come so naturally to me that I actually had to re-read it to see what I wrote! XD I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	5. Sensei Keiken

**Hello! This is the last, uh, used to be short, chapter. Now, before you start throwing things-**

_**Ow! Who threw that? Was it you? Yes, you! I'll get you for that…**_

***ahem* ANYWAY, though this is the last chapter for THIS fic, I will be writing more Exo-Fics in the not-so-distant future. Enjoy!**

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**Only Hope**

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A sigh escaped the aged lips of the Exo-Force founder and sensei. What was it he had said? _"I expect you to work as a team"?_

Maybe he should have set more realistic expectations…

Keiken was beginning to have second thoughts. He had held onto his hope for as long as he could, his belief that they could set aside their differences and fulfil their full potential as an elite team. He almost scoffed. _Team_. Their stubborn intolerance of one another both frustrated and saddened the old man. He had seen so much in this life, done so much, not all of it particularly pride-inspiring, and to witness the foolhardy quarrels of young men at war only further wearied him.

He thought back to when he was still training each of them individually, and remembered how he had thought of them, their qualities and abilities.

Hikaru was an amazing pilot, skilled, logical and efficient at planning with a tactical mind and objective mindset.

Takeshi was a superb warrior, courageous, strong and innovative in battle, driven and passionate.

Ha-Ya-To was a breathtaking flyer, with remarkable speed and agility, as well as an eye for opportunity.

Ryo was a genius, a technical whiz, with a mind as fast as it was brilliant and a body to match, not to mention sheer determination.

Sensei Keiken let loose another sigh. He had been a fool. So joyous had he been at finding these wonderful soldiers, he had thought he could put them together as an all-round team within Exo-Force, but he had not been thinking clearly. He knew that now.

As was the same with any machine, it only worked if the components within did. And some components, though seemingly a stroke of genius to combine, had negative side-effects or cancelled one another out.

Hikaru was cold and solitary, objecting to the intrusion of other people in his activities.

Takeshi was stubborn, impulsive and hot-headed, easily riled and liable to lash out at those around him in anger.

Ha-Ya-To could not seem to take others seriously, his constant antics only further straining the tension between them all.

Ryo…

His thoughts were broken when an unusual sound reached his ears, and at first he wondered if it was his age getting to him. The first thing to go is said to be the mind, after all.

He walked over to the offending door, standing tall despite his age, thick wooden cane clacking against the metal floor. He listened carefully, and his curiosity (and sheer disbelief) got the better of him for the first time in a good few years.

As the door slid open, he was greeted by the most bizarre and heart-warming sight he had witnessed since founding Exo-Force.

Ha-Ya-To and Ryo were sitting to one side, exuberantly encouraging the pair currently playing a rather intense-looking game of what appeared to be three-dimensional chess. Hikaru suddenly made his move and sat up straight, folding his arms and smirking. "Check."

Takeshi growled and pounding his fist against his leg, before sneaking a glance at the audience and grinning. In a spectacular move pulled off so fast the experienced eyes of their Sensei could barely follow it, Takeshi countered the smug motions of his opponent. "Check_mate_."

Hikaru and Ha-Ya-To both gaped in shock, whilst Ryo burst out laughing.

Keiken smiled and closed the door again, continuing down the corridor. It seemed that all was not lost. One last component to balance out the properties of the others. One last, marvellous piece of machinery to kick start the whole operation, to balance it all out and hold it all together, to make everything work as he always did.

One last hope for humanity.


End file.
